Highly-touted quarterback recruits and Iowa football may not be as synonymous as peas and carrots, but the Hawkeyes are looking to change that in 2023 and beyond.
In 247Sports’ recent 2023 quarterback rankings, Hawkeye quarterback commit Marco Lainez III cracked the top 25 signal-callers.
According to MaxPreps, in nine games as a junior, Lainez completed 80.2% of his passes for 1,761 yards with 21 touchdowns and two interceptions, while rushing for an additional 451 yards and two touchdowns on 41 carries.
The New Jersey quarterback ranked No. 22 on 247Sports’ list of the top 25 signal-callers and is a three-star prospect on the fringe of being a four-star according to 247Sports. Lainez continues Iowa’s connection with the Garden State. Lainez is coached by Tony Racioppi, the same coach currently working with Hawkeye quarterback Spencer Petras.
Racioppi spoke with 247Sports’ Sean Bock and broke down Lainez’s skill set in a recent look at Iowa’s commits in the 2023 class.
“He has all sorts of physical traits,” Raccioppi said of Lainez. “He has a big arm, he can make all the throws, he has great anticipation, great touch to get the ball over the linebackers. He throws a great deep ball. He’s very athletic for a big kid. He’s 6-foot-3, 225-pounds, and he’s not just a drop-back kid. He’s very good in that game, but at the same time, between protection breaking down, scrambling, extending plays, and designed run plays for the quarterback, I think he’s going to bring something to Iowa that it hasn’t had in a long time.” – Bock, 247Sports.
That is exactly what Hawkeye fans will be hoping for from Lainez, something they haven’t seen in a long time. As a top-25 quarterback, he is one of the highest-touted recruits in the position to enter Iowa City.
Iowa isn’t really known for quarterback play, mostly striving for a passer just good enough to not mess up the strengths of the program. While there is a ton of optimism around Spencer Petras for his senior year after a strong offseason so far, he has mostly been just that for the Hawkeyes.
However, an upper-echelon talent at the position could take an already strong Hawkeyes program to never-before-seen heights in Iowa City under head football coach Kirk Ferentz.
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